How LIVE Countdown Bidding Affiliate Commission Works

06/10/2026

Affiliate Orders

AI Summary

LIVE Countdown Bidding lets sellers offer tiered affiliate commissions in Target Collaborations only, based on the order’s winning bid amount. It applies only to newly registered Countdown Bidding products and eligible invited creators in LIVE direct attribution. Sellers set up to 3 tiers in Seller Center under Affiliate > Target Collaborations; once active, rates can only be increased, bid ranges cannot be changed, and the product cannot also use Open Collaboration or Flat Fee commission.

What is LIVE Countdown Bidding

LIVE Countdown Bidding is an invite-only collaboration type that lets sellers offer creators tiered commission rates based on the winning bid amount of each Countdown Bidding product. This guide covers how to set up, edit, and settle tiered commissions for Countdown Bidding products. For standard affiliate commission (flat rate), see How Standard Affiliate Commission Works.

Eligibility for Countdown Bidding commission

Tiered commission for Countdown Bidding products is only available through Target Collaborations. It is not supported in Open Collaborations or Flat Fee collaborations.

To set up tiered commission, both of the following must be true:

The product is registered as a Countdown Bidding product (a dedicated Product ID is created at the time the product is added to the catalog).
The seller invites an eligible creator to a Target Collaboration that includes at least one Countdown Bidding product.

Existing products with standard affiliate commission rates cannot be converted into Countdown Bidding products. If you want to offer a product through LIVE Countdown Bidding, register it as a new Countdown Bidding product in Seller Center.

Setting up Countdown Bidding commission

In Seller Center, go to Affiliate > Target Collaborations and click Create invitation.
Select LIVE Countdown Bidding as the collaboration type.
Choose the creator(s) you want to invite. Only creators eligible for Countdown Bidding will appear in the picker.
Add products. Only products registered as Countdown Bidding products are selectable in this flow.
Set the commission tiers (see Tiered commission structure below).
Set the Target Collaboration end date and submit.

Tiered commission structure

Each Countdown Bidding product supports up to three commission tiers, with the rate determined by the winning bid amount (the final payment amount of the order):

Tier	Winning bid range	Commission rate
Tier 1	$1 to $X (seller-defined)	Seller-defined %
Tier 2	$X+1 to $X+N (seller-defined)	Seller-defined %
Tier 3	$X+N+1 and above	Seller-defined %

Example: A seller sets the following tiers for a Countdown Bidding product:

Tier 1: $1 to $50 = 5%
Tier 2: $51 to $100 = 10%
Tier 3: $101 and above = 20%

If the winning bid for an order is $120, the commission rate applied to that order is 20% (Tier 3), which equals $24.

Editing Countdown Bidding commission

What you can edit	Rule
Increase a commission rate	Allowed. The new rate takes effect immediately for all creators on the Target Collaboration.
Decrease a commission rate	Not allowed. Tiered commission rates for Countdown Bidding cannot be decreased once the Target Collaboration is active.
Change the winning bid range for a tier	Not allowed. Bid range thresholds are locked once the Target Collaboration is active.
Extend the Target Collaboration end date	Allowed.

Settlement and reporting

For every order placed through a Countdown Bidding Target Collaboration:

The system identifies the winning bid (the order's payment amount).
The matching tier is applied, and the commission is calculated as winning bid x tier rate.
The order is tagged in attribution as a tiered Countdown Bidding commission order, so you can filter for it in your reports.

Things to know about Countdown Bidding commission

LIVE-only attribution. Countdown Bidding tiered commission only applies to orders attributed to a LIVE session. Short videos, showcase pages, and other content types do not qualify.
Direct attribution only. Indirect attribution (orders placed after a shopper leaves the LIVE and returns later through another touchpoint) does not qualify for tiered commission.
No commission stacking with Open Collaborations or Flat Fee. Countdown Bidding products cannot also carry an Open Collaboration rate or a Flat Fee rate. The Target Collaboration rate is the only affiliate rate that applies.
Reporting. Orders are visible in your existing affiliate reports with a tag identifying them as tiered Countdown Bidding commission orders.

FAQ: Countdown Bidding commission

Q: Can I convert an existing standard affiliate product into a Countdown Bidding product?

No. Countdown Bidding products must be registered as new products with a dedicated Product ID. Products that already have a standard affiliate commission rate cannot be converted.

Q: Can I offer the same product through both Target Collaborations (Countdown Bidding) and an Open Collaboration?

No. Countdown Bidding products are only available through Target Collaborations.

Q: What happens if I want to lower a tier rate after the Target Collaboration is active?

Tier rates cannot be lowered once the Target Collaboration is active. You can only increase a rate. If you need to fundamentally change the structure, end the current Target Collaboration and create a new one.

Q: Are Countdown Bidding orders eligible for Shop Ads or Flash Sale incentives?

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